Instability
by michaelamarcello99
Summary: Callie's entire life isn't stable. It never has been. She longs for some form of stability. Everything in her life is spiralling out of control. Between Ximena being stuck in the church, her art school portfolio, her family life and her failure of a love life she's going downhill. Though maybe she can find stability with the help of someone she cares deeply about. Callie/Ximena
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to freeform.**

 **(Takes place after the events of 5x11)**

Callie

I don't think I can remember a time when everything in my life was genuinely stable. I've gone from place to place most of my life. I've never been able to call somewhere home that is until I met the Fosters. They're something that's good in my life. My family. Sometime I forget that. I should really be more grateful for them. They're all important to me, I need to stop ruining their trust in me. It's hard though but at least I have people in my corner. It might not be stable but its something.

Relationships. Boys. They've always been my main issue. I've never been able to find "Mr. Right" I guess. Each boy was one I though I could really love but they never worked out. I always try to blame it on them but maybe I should just accept that I'm the problem not them. Aaron… I really thought he was perfect for me but like always that didn't work out. We've both got too many issues to make an "us" work out. I just mess everything up. It's times like this when I think back to mine and Brandon's relationship. God that feels like so long ago. I often find myself wondering "what if," maybe he could have been the one. He was probably the closest to stable I've ever felt. Things change. I still love him only as a brother now though. In a way I'm happy we're over. It never would have worked out anyways. Maybe I'm doomed to spend my life alone. Boys really suck. Things are too complicated for them anyways. They just cause more of a distraction. More instability.

School, thats another issue. I want a real future. A real career but I keep messing it up. My stupid portfolio. My future in the art world depends on a bunch of stupid pieces of art. There is so much else going on and this is just the icing on the problem cake. My moms want me to have the best life and I'm messing it all up. Social work, I guess I could be happy enough doing that. At least it would be something. God how do normal people just do the whole perfect life thing. Everything just works out for them. Thats not me. Its never been my life.

At least I'm not in Ximena's position currently. She stays so strong even when her life is unstable. I don't know how she does it. Her parents have been detained and she's stuck in a church seeking sanctuary from ICE. At least Poppy is safe with my family. They should be together though. The system is so messed up. It tears families apart. I need to figure out something to help Ximena.

She thinks I'm this great person but really I don't feel like one. I don't know why I feel the need to help the people I help but I need to help her. She's one of the people I care a lot about. She's important to me I guess. I just want to be able to do something. I need to get her out of the church and back together with her family. She trusts me. I don't want to lose that trust. My life is unstable but maybe through my instability can fix her life. She deserves a good life. She's such a great person. I'll figure something out.

Stability is such a tricky thing.

 **Authors Note**

 **I absolutely love the fosters and recently I've really been shipping the Callie/Ximena pairing. It'll be a little bit of a slowburn but not too much because I hate waiting for the romance to happen just as much as you guys do. This story will be uploaded to as frequently as possible with longer chapters. I just wanted to do a little prologue to give a bit of an idea of what Callie's headspace is in this story. Might change the rating as the story progresses. Hope you all enjoy.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to freeform.**

Third Person POV

Callie stands at the sink getting ready for school while deep in thought. She stares into the mirror while thinking about how guilty she feels about not being with Ximena. She knows she should be doing more to help her. She looks down at her phone contemplating finding a reason to skip school and go be with Ximena instead.

"Callie come on I need to get ready and you're taking forever!" Mariana shouted while banging on the door. This broke Callie out of her trance. She swung the door open to revile her very annoyed sister. "Finally! We really need another bathroom. This house has severe overcrowding issues. There are way to many of us" Mariana exclaimed while walking into the bathroom in a huff of annoyance and slammed the door. Callie shook her head and walked into her room not bothering to humour Mariana's melodramatic behaviour with a response. She noticed Poppy pulling some clothing out of her bag as she entered the room. Poppy looked up while smiling. "Is she always like that?" The younger girl enquired. "Yup pretty much. She's a little overdramatic at times if you haven't noticed" Callie respond with a chuckle "you'd better get in line quick before one of the boys gets into the bathroom before you. They take a surprisingly long time." Poppy laughed "I guess I better get out there then. She's got a point though there are a lot of us in one house. At least me being here is only temporary, you know until my sister can take me." Callie was then pulled back into the reality of whats going on around her as Poppy mentioned her sister "Don't worry Poppy I'll figure something out to help your sister. Ximena will be out of there before you know it." Poppy smiled fondly at Callie "I'm glad my sister has you. Honestly I don't know what we would have done without you and your family. I know Ximena hates having to rely on others but she really needs to this time. Just thanks that's really what I'm trying to say." Callie smiles softly while thinking of what she can say to Poppy. She doesn't know if everything will work out. She barely knows what she can do to help her "Don't go thanking me yet I haven't gotten her out of that church and safe yet." Poppy grins while thinking of her sister being free "I know you'll find a way-" Poppy is cut off by shouting coming from the hall. "Mariana you've been in there way to long already! Come on theres still like 5 people that need to get in there before school! We need a better system!" Brandon exclaims. "Just give me 10 minutes Brandon and I'll be done. God you people have no patience" Mariana exclaims with annoyance. Brandon huffs and walks off back into his room. "You better get out there Poppy before Brandon gets in before you" Callie states with a smirk. Poppy exits the room laughing.

Callie resumes getting ready for school while her thoughts remain with Ximena. She can't stop thinking about her. She can hear the boys arguing in the hall but isn't paying them much attention as her mind is elsewhere. Her train of thought is once again broken as Mariana stomps loudly into the room complaining about the boys, bathrooms and too many people as per usual. Callie shakes her head and exits the room to proceed downstairs passing her arguing brothers along the way watching as Poppy enters the bathroom while they remain distracted. Callie enters the kitchen and notices her moms rushing around getting breakfast ready. Stef glances at Callie "Are any of them actually getting ready or are they just fighting over the washroom while standing next to it?" She enquires. Callie smiles while stating "Mariana just got out and Poppy snuck in whilst the boys were fighting in the hall. I think everyone spends more time complaining on the lack of bathroom time rather then actually managing their time better." Lena pauses while grinning to respond "At least someones ready on time." Callie just smiles while sliding into her seat at the table and grabbing something too eat. Just as her thoughts begin to go back to Ximena Mariana loudly enters the kitchen with Poppy trailing close behind. "I can't believe they're trying to limit my time in the bathroom. I'm a girl they should be offering me more time then them. God we need a better system" Mariana complains while grabbing some juice from the fridge. Poppy slides into a seat while grabbing a piece of toast. "You're going to just have to deal with it Mariana. Maybe if you all spent less time complaining about your limited bathroom time you'd actually have more time in the mornings. Just give it a try sweetie. There's nothing we can do about it" Stef replies while shaking her head. "Fine mom" replies the young Latina as she sits down in a huff. Just as Callie is drifting back off into her head she's snapped out of it again by the loud sound of the boys entering the kitchen complaining almost as badly as Mariana just was. Lena just shakes her head whist interrupting them "Boys just eat your breakfast and stop with the complaints. Myself and mom are getting tired of it. Now come on quickly of your all going to be late." The three brothers all sat down and ate before all the siblings and Poppy rushed to grab their bags and go.

Callie slid into the passengers seat of Brandon's car while her sister and Poppy got into the back. Brandon rushed out the front door quickly and hopped into the drivers seat. Callie glanced over at Brandon as he drove reminding the girl of what he must be going through. His girlfriend is sick and there's nothing himself or anyone else can do about it. She made a mental note to have a serious conversation with him soon."Hello. Earth to Callie. Poppy asked you a question" She was broke from her stream of thought by Mariana. "Ya sorry Poppy I've just been distracted lately. What did you say?" Callie replied. Brandon glanced over at the girl with a concerned look on his face but remained silent. Poppy smiled before repeating herself "I just wanted to know if you were going to see my sister later? I really want to go but she told me not to because I have a lot of school stuff to catch up on. I just don't want her to be alone." "Don't worry Poppy I was already planing on going to see X later. I'll make sure she's alright. Which reminds me. Brandon do you mind giving me a ride to the church on your way to see Grace after school?" Callie glances at her brother while asking. Brandon nods his head in approval before replying "Sure no problem. I'm heading there straight after school. Don't worry though I'll drop you two off at home before we go" he states the last part while glancing back at the two girls behind him. Mariana rolled her eyes in response "thank you for being oh so considerate of us my dear brother." Brandon just laughed and continued to drive. The remainder of the car ride was uneventful and they were at school soon enough.

The day went by quite quickly much to Callie's surprise. She had spent most of the day trying to figure out ways to help Ximena while also getting her portfolio completed and worrying about Brandon. These thoughts continued to run through her head as she waited by her brothers car for everyone else. She couldn't wait to see Ximena. Her thoughts were once again interrupted by Mariana shouting at her with Poppy and Emma trailing close behind. She could see Brandon some distance behind them. Callie smiled at the girls whilst greeting them. Brandon had caught up he glanced around before speaking "Hey guys. Lets get going. Emma I'm assuming you're coming with?" The red head nodded "ya if thats alright with you." "Ya its fine just get in. I don't want to be late to see Grace" the boy responded. They all got in the only difference from the morning being Emma siting in the back between the two other girls. Instantly began the short car ride home to drop off the three girls seated in the back. Not before long Brandon and Callie had the three dropped off and were on their way.

"Hey Brandon. Thanks again for giving me a ride. I know you have a lot going on so I just wanted to say I really appreciate it" Callie stated smiling at him as he drove. Brandon glanced over at her before responding "its no problem. Really Callie. I don't mind." "How's Grace doing?" She asked with a concerned look on her face. The boy frowned "she's doing as good as can be expected. She's acting so strong but I know she's scared. It's just hard you know? It's just that theres no way of knowing whats the right thing to say or do. I don't know… I'm just so worried about her. I don't know what I'll do if she you know… Doesn't make it." "I don't know if I could do what you're doing. Being there for her. Standing by her side as she's suffering through this horrible thing. You are a great guy Brandon and she's strong. Together you'll help her overcome whatever obstacles get thrown at you" Callie smiled at her brother sadly. The girl knew this must be so hard for him. Watching someone you love suffer is never easy and she knows that. He's strong. So is Grace. She'll be alright… she has to be. After a long pause the boy finally replied "thanks Cal. You saying that meant a lot. I just care about her so much. You know the feeling when you just know you need to do everything in your power to help that person. Even put your whole life on hold for them. Thats how I feel about Grace. She's important to me. I don't want to lose her." Callie looks over at him. All she ever does is try to help other people. It's always been the same feeling for her, just an overwhelming need to help someone else. This time though it somehow feels different for her. She just knows it but why? "Ya Brandon I get it. You just have to help them. Its like you can't stop yourself from getting involved in every way possible… I get it… I really do…" Brandon just smiled at the girl to his right and nodded. He knew she'd understand. She always does. That's what best friends are for he figures. Soon enough they arrive at the church. Callie hops out and bids Brandon a farewell.

The brunette girl pauses before entering the church. For some reason she feels nervous. She brushes it off as if it's nothing and opens the door, excited to see her friend again. Callie glides quickly through the halls to the area Ximena is using as a room. She enters upon seeing her friend she smiles. Ximena is seated at a desk working on her art. She appears so peaceful. Callie leans against a wall staring at her friend while she works for a minute before making her presence known. "Hey X, hows your day been?" The other girl spins around quickly in the chair her eyes immediately honing in on Callie and smiles at her. "How long were you standing there? I didn't hear you come in. Regardless it was as alright as it can be… you know in this situation I'm in." Callie chuckled "I wasn't here long. Only a minute. I didn't want to interrupt you. You seemed so focused on your work. Glad you're doing as good as you can be. At least I'm here now so you can actually have something to do other then art." Ximena smirked at her friend "oh really something to do?" She then laughed. Callie blushed realizing her wording may have been a little off. "Shut up X. You know what I mean. Now lets just go roller skating before I leave out of embarrassment for what I just said." Ximena finally stopped laughing and just smiled at Callie. "Okay. Okay. I'll stop. Lets get your skates on babe before you say something you'll regret." Ximena winks then saunters off into the other room. Callie pauses for a second before rolling her eyes and chasing after her friend.

The two girls skate around peacefully hand in hand Callie attempting to be balanced but failing miserably. This is new to the girl and she's grateful that Ximena is the one teaching her. She at least thinks she's improving at bit. The brunette believes this is a good distraction for Ximena from the insanity that is her life. Her thought's are then interrupted once again at least by Ximena this time. "Hey Cal. I just wanted to say thanks again for everything that you're doing for me and my sister." "Don't worry about it X. I'm here for you. I'm helping you make this right no matter what. We'll get through this together. We'll figure something out I promise." Callie smiles and the two skate on for a minute before Ximena says anything else "can we sit Callie, I think thats enough for today don't you?" "Sure of course. I'm getting tired anyways." The two girls smile at each other and skate off into the other room.

The friends lay side by side on Ximena's temporary bed in a comfortable silence. Both girls just living in the moment almost forgetting about the outside world. Callie is the first to break the silence "you know X this'll all be over soon enough and one day in the future we'll look back on this as one of the craziest points of our lives." Ximena smiles at the girl sadly "I hope you're right Callie… I really hope you're right."

The girls talk for awhile longer before Callie has to go home. They hug and make plans for the next day. As Callie exits the church to head to Brandon's car she thinks over everything that's happening around her once more but for some reason she can only focus on Ximena. Something feels different for the girl but she's not yet sure what it is or why. It's as if something has shifted. The brunette pays it little mind and gets into the car greeting her brother as well. They fall into a comfortable silence both siblings dreading the days to come but for different reasons.

Callie still feels her life is suffering from instability.

 **Authors Note**

 **I hope you are enjoying this story so far. I might move things along a little quicker then I intended to but I'm not sure yet. I should hopefully have another chapter up in 2-3 days maybe sooner if I have time. I'm including a Callie and Brandon friendship dynamic because I think they're good together as friends.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to freeform.**

 **Authors Note**

 **Before I start can I just freak out for a minute that they actually gave us a Callie/Ximena kiss and that Callie seemed completely okay with it. Counting down the minutes until next episode.**

 **This will follow the direction of the show to some extent but adding in a lot of my own plot changes along the way.**

Third Person POV

Callie sits in her room trying to come up with an idea to help Ximena. The girl glances out the nearby window gazing into the late night sky. She enjoys the quiet beauty the night brings, it allows her to think more clearly. Unable to come up with anything the brunette sighs in frustration. She looks over at a picture on the desk of Ximena. She wants to be with her friend. Callie gets up out of bed quietly as to not wake Mariana and Poppy, she walks over to the desk and grabs the picture. She stares at it for a moment before quietly exiting the room with the object in hand. She walks downstairs, through the kitchen and then into the backyard. The brunette sits down on the patio gazing at the stars as she thinks, occasionally glancing at the photo she had placed down beside her. The door creaks open and the girl is broken from her quite trance. Callie chooses not to look back but instead waits for them to say something. Soon enough she feels a presence beside her. "Hey Cal. Whatcha doing up?" Callie remains glancing at the sky while responding to Brandon's question "I could ask you the same thing but really I just can't sleep while I'm feeling so stressed about everything." The boy looks at her for a moment he recognizes that the girl beside him is hurting. "You know everything will work out. It just has to. You'll get her out of there Cal. She'll be alright. You know she will be." Callie sighs finally looking at the boy beside her. "And what if she's not okay. What if I can't help her… what if she loses everything. She deserves to be here. Why can't they see that? I just… I donno need to do something Brandon. I just don't know what else to do." At some point Callie began to cry. Brandon put his arms around her trying to provide her with some form of comfort. Brandon knows it's not just Ximena it's everything. The girl next to him has given so much and has been hurt so many times that he doesn't know if she can deal with losing someone she cares about. He notices the picture on the floor of Ximena his heart goes out to her. He knows Callie will find a way to help Ximena. "Cal… it's hard. I know it is. You've got a lot on your plate. If you need help with anything let me know. Whether it's with Ximena, your portfolio or anything else." Callie abruptly leaves his grasp, picks up the image on her left and wipes her tears. She knows what she has to do, use art to create something powerful for Ximena. She looks over at Brandon smiling softly. "Thanks for that. You gave me an amazing idea. I just hope I can pull it off in time. Come on let's get to bed. I know Grace'll wanna see you tomorrow so you'd better get some sleep. You're doing good with her Brandon. You really are." She smiled at her brother one last time before entering back into the house, proceeding up to her room along with the image of Ximena to start her work. Brandon went to bed shortly after her exit but not before taking one last glance at the sky.

Everyone awoke to the usual morning insanity. All the siblings and Poppy rushing around trying to get ready just like any other day. After a quick breakfast everyone set off for school or work. Once again Brandon was stuck with driving the girls to school with him. Everyone was in the cars and off soon enough. The atmosphere in the car with Brandon and the girls being tense due to all parties stressing about different things in their lives. "Hey Callie, are you going to see my sister later? I want to go see her but I have so much school stuff to catch up on" Poppy looked over at Callie. The older girl turned to look at her "Ya I was planning on going by later but I'm staying for awhile. Maybe one of our moms can pick you up after a bit since Brandon is coming to grab me on his way home." Poppy smiled "do you really think they would?" "It's worth a try I'll text mom now and ask" Callie stated while firing out a quick text to Stef. She got a response almost instantly. "Mom says she's good to come and grab you if you're only able to stay for a few hours" the older girl stated looking back at Poppy. "Okay great! I'll be sure to thank her later" the younger girl responded with a grin. Soon enough the four were pulling into school and getting ready to complete the school day.

The day seemed to drag on for Callie. All she wanted to do was go be with Ximena and tell her about her plans. She knows she'll have to wait until after Poppy leaves to discuss everything. Callie doesn't want to stress out Poppy anymore then she already is. Before the girl knows it herself along with Brandon and Poppy are pulling up to the church. "See you soon guys. I'll text you when I'm leaving Grace's house" Brandon stated looking at Callie. "Okay, sounds good. Bye!" She replied while exiting the vehicle. Poppy said her goodbyes and exited as well. The girls proceeded slowly to the door as Brandon drove off. The younger girl grinned whilst looking at the church "I can't wait to see my sister. I actually miss her so much. It's so weird being without her." "She'll be out soon enough. I'm working on it" stated Callie while swinging the door open. The girls continued on to Ximena's temporary room. Upon entering they notice Ximena doing her art work. Poppy quickly ran over to her sister and hugged her briefly "Hey Ximena! How are you? I can't stay long but I really wanted to see you." The girl in question laughed "I'm doing alright. Keeping busy. I hope you're planning on doing school work when you get back to the Fosters. I don't want to be the reason you're behind." Her sister smiles "don't worry thats why I'm not staying long. I'll be out of here in like an hour. Stef is picking me up." "Good. I'm glad you're here though, I really wanted to see you" the older Latina then looks over at Callie "and you. You're suppose to be getting that portfolio done but I suppose you'll do whatever you want" she ends with a grin. Callie laughs "I'll be sticking around for awhile. I wanna talk over some stuff later for that thing I was telling you about. I'll get my stuff done later don't worry about me." "Fine Callie but don't stay here too long I can survive here alone for awhile longer." The three girls spend the next hour hanging out and just talking. Poppy tells Ximena about her life at Anchor Beach and the craziness at the Foster household. For the most part Callie remains quiet just making comments here and there. The girl is watching Ximena trying to figure out what about her makes it so that her mind is always focused on her friend. It's something, though she can't quite put her finger on it. Soon enough Callie receives a text from her mom saying that she was there to grab Poppy. The youngest girl grabs her sister into a big hug before saying her goodbyes and heading off.

Ximena looks over at her friend fondly "you've been pretty quiet today. Are you alright?" The other girl chuckled "I'm okay X. I've just been in my head a lot lately. Theres just so much going on. That's not important though, let's just go over the details of this anti-immigration rally. It'll be a really big press thing so I just want to have all the details ironed out." The two girls spend the next while going over what Callie will be doing at the rally. Eventually both of them find themselves lying on Ximena's bed in a comfortable silence. Callie knows she's doing everything in her power to help Ximena yet somehow she doesn't think it'll be enough. She's broken from her thoughts by Ximena "I keep meaning to ask how are things going on the whole Aaron front? Figured out if you want to get back together with him or not?" The other girl sighed "I dunno X. I don't think I really want to be with Aaron. Like I care about him but I'm not sure if he's the right person for me. I just want someone that gets me, that'll fight for me just as hard as I'd fight for them. Someone who I look at and they just feel like home. I don't think he's that for me. We were better off as friends anyways. At least I'm friends with all my ex's somehow." Ximena just shook her head "you really want it all don't you Cal. If anyone deserves someone perfect it's you. You're so caring and you do stuff for everyone except yourself. I'm really happy I have you Cal." The brunette remained quiet for a few moments "how did you know?" The Latina chuckled looking over at the girl "how did I know what? You're going to have to be more specific with that one." Callie continued looking straight ahead for a moment before looking at Ximena "how did you know that you were Gay?" The other girl paused for a moment while thinking over a response "I don't know really I guess I just did. I never really thought about boys in a more then friends way. When I looked at other girls though I got those feeling that my friends had when they looked at boys that they liked. I guess it just came down to putting two and two together. I just knew. Why the sudden interest?" Callie looked at Ximena "I don't know really, I was just curious I guess. Thanks for telling me though." Ximena looked at Callie for awhile in silence "I love you Callie. Thanks for everything." The other girl just wrapped her arms around Ximena and snuggled into her side. They remained like that for awhile just enjoying each others company. Not before long Callie receives a text from Brandon saying that he's almost there to get her. The girls get up out of bed and walk over to the exit. "Bye X. I'll be back tomorrow probably without Poppy though" Callie grabs the older girl into a hug and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. Ximena smiles as they part "okay fine but you better be focusing on your stuff too. You can't spend all your time focusing on me." "Okay. Okay. Bye X. Don't miss me too much" the younger girl smiles and exits the building quickly walking over to the car.

Callie jumps into the passages seat and smiles at Brandon "Hey B. How's Grace doing today?" "Hey Cal. She's doing better today. It's just hard to know there's a lot of ups and downs that I know I need to be prepared for. She's strong at least so she's going to beat this" the boy smiles and sets off for home. Callie remains quite for a moment her thoughts going to her friend she's just left "um Brandon?" "Ya Callie, whats up?" Callie waits for a moment "do you love her? Grace I mean." Brandon's thoughts go to his girlfriend that he cares so deeply for. She means so much to him and he's willing to fight for and with her. He finally decides how to respond "Yes… I do love Grace. I know I do. I really think she might be the one Cal. I don't know why I just do. Its like you're willing to do anything for them. We just need to get over this huge hurtle and onto the rest of our lives together." Callie takes in what the boy said to her. He seems to have it all figured out, why couldn't her love life be like that. The girls thoughts then go to Aaron, she's not sure if she really loved him. He wasn't the one she knows that for sure. She needs someone that gets her, that'll support her though her insane life, someone that'll be there for her through it all and vice versa. She knows there's someone that fit's the bill she's just not sure on who yet. Her thought were then interrupted by Brandon "How's Ximena anyways? I almost forgot to ask." "She's doing alright. It's just a lot. I'm trying to do my part and be there for her. I just need to be. It's just hard to know what I can do to help her. I've got to do right by X. She'll be out soon enough…She has to be" Callie looked straight ahead avoiding Brandon's eyes. The boy sighs "You're doing your best Cal. Thats all anyone can expect from you. It'll all work out… It just has to." The rest of the car ride was spent in a somewhat tense silence from both siblings minds being on the important people in their lives. Both trying to figure out what to do next and when to do it. Life can really be complicated.

Callie's life is the definition of instability.

 **Authors Note**

 **Sorry for the update taking longer then expected as I was busy with Uni and work. I'll hopefully have another chapter up in 4 days maybe less if I'm busy. I'll try to make a longer chapter next time since I want to have fun writing this next one. Hope you are enjoying this fic.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to freeform.**

Callie awoke to another normal day in the Fosters household the only difference being the fact that her mom's birthday party was that night. She had planned to work more on her portfolio that day but she couldn't come up with anything. The brunette had been lacking inspiration lately. She had a deadline especially since she's made her final decision to apply for art over social work. A big risk on her end but one she needed to take. This choice gives her more to deal with but it's the right one… it has to be. Callie plans on visiting Ximena before Stef's party. Poppy enters the room and greets Callie who has been getting things together to bring to the church. "Are you going to see my sister?" Enquires the younger girl. Callie pauses and looks at the other girl "Um ya I'm about to head there just grabbing some things including food. I don't think I'll be there long since it's mom's birthday and all." "Okay good. Give her a hug for me and tell her again I'm sorry I couldn't go and see her tonight." Callie nods in response and picks up her bag. "I better get going. I'll see you in a bit Poppy." The younger girl waves at Callie as she exits the room. The brunette quickly runs downstairs and into the kitchen to grab food for herself and Ximena to eat. Upon entering she notices her moms getting ready for the party and greets them. "Hi mom's. I'm going to see X now. I won't be long don't worry I just wanna drop off some stuff and talk for a bit then I'll be back." Callie opens the fridge to gather the containers of food. Stef nods "alright Cal I figured you were going over at some point today. Tell Ximena we say hello and that I'm still looking for her parents but nothing yet, though we have a possible lead. No need to rush back." Callie turns to her and nods "Okay great. I'll let her know. Bye mom's!" Callie quickly exits the kitchen. "Bye Callie" responds Stef and Lena. Callie quickly exits her house and is off to the church.

Soon enough Callie is entering the church. The girl can't wait to see her friend. She hears noise coming from the room Ximena usually skates in and enters assuming that's where her friend is. Callie's assumption is correct as she notices her friend upon entering. The brunette remains silent for a few minutes just enjoying watching her friend skate around. The Latina looks so free while she's doing that she loves, the girl never falters. Somehow through everything in her life Ximena remains so strong. Eventually Callie decides to make her presence known. She moves away from the doorway and over to Ximena smiling. "Hey X. I see you decided to take a break from all that art finally." Ximena stops, smiles and skates over to her approaching friend. "Hey Cal. Ya I decided to catch up on my skating as I've been neglecting it a little bit lately. I'm really missing derby while I'm stuck in here. Come on get some skates on and have some fun with me." Callie laughs at her friend and proceeds to do as she requests. Not before long Callie has the skates on and is skating around with Ximena's help. Both girls are having fun laughing and messing around. They enjoy having a distraction from the realities of life for awhile and just enjoying being together. Callie begins showing some improvement slowly but surely as she can skate for a bit without help. The younger girl still opting for holding Ximena's hand most of the time her reason being that she doesn't want to fall. Eventually the girls began to tire and opted for going into Ximena's room and eating.

The two girls lounged on the floor eating food and chatting about pointless things just enjoying themselves. They hadn't had a stress free night for quite awhile now so they both opted to take advantage of the opportunity. Eventually Callie breaks the peace by remembering what her mom said to tell Ximena "oh X I almost forgot. My mom said that they haven't found your parents yet but they have a really strong lead so I guess we'll find out soon if it's them." Ximena nodded "Tell Stef I say thanks. I really hope it's them. I'm really grateful for everything your family is doing for mine. How are your siblings anyways?" Callie smiled "it's no problem Ximena. Just trying to do what's right. They're alright, just the usual insanity with a little bit of extra crazy. Mariana is playing the Bachelorette with a bunch of boys… don't ask. Jesus is still adjusting to school and Emma is trying to really be there for him. Jude is playing video games for money with his best friend and some other online 'gay-mer.' Brandon is trying his best to be there for his girlfriend who has leukaemia. So ya overall everything is a little crazy at the moment. Some of us with more serious issues then others." Ximena nodded, she wondered what it was like living with a family that size. To her it sounded like problems waiting to happen. "Your family is crazy Cal. I honestly couldn't image being in Brandon's position. It must be so hard for him." The younger girl sighed "it's really hard for him but he's doing his best. He really loves Grace and he's willing to fight for her. She's strong and'll make it through this." The older girl sighed and shook her head "I couldn't do it. They both seem like they're good together. I hope they get their happy ending." Callie smiled sadly whilst getting up and moving onto the bed to get more comfortable "I do too. They both deserve it." "Also Mariana what is she even doing with those boys. I get that she's young but still I wouldn't want Poppy hooking up with three boys at once" the Latina stated as she got up and moved to join Callie on the bed sliding into the small space beside her whilst the younger girl shifted over. Callie sighed in annoyance "Mariana can be more then a little bit extra at times. She isn't known to think before she acts. She'll do the right thing…eventually." Ximena chuckled and looked over at the younger girl "You all have… interesting lives. I don't know how you all deal with it." The brunette groans "I think my entire family has a thing for more then complicated love life's." Ximena smiles and remains silent.

For awhile the two enjoy each other company not really talking much just lounging there together. Soon enough Callie breaks the peace "I wish I had something like Brandon and Grace or Stef and Lena have. Just an unconditional love. Someone that sticks by your side through the hard times and vice versa. Just for once I want to not mess anything up." Ximena turned and faced her friend "Cal you are absolutely amazing. You are so selfless, brave and I don't know where I'd be without you. You're perfect in my eyes and honestly whoever you're with should feel lucky that you chose to be with them." Callie turned her body so she was now seated face to face with Ximena "X I wish I knew more people like you. You're willing to always see the good in me and remind me of it even when I don't want to see it myself. Thanks for just always being there Ximena. You make me feel more confident in myself so thanks for that too." The two girls smiled softly at each other and it was as if time had slowed down. At some point both girls began to lean in and not before long their lips were touching. Callie loved the feeling of Ximena's soft lips on hers. It was nothing like she had ever experienced before. At some point one of Callie's hands had gone to one of Ximena's cheeks and Ximena had placed her hands on Callie's waist. Not before long the two girls parted and stared at each other for a few moments. Callie then got up out of the bed walking to the other end of the room and back whilst running her hand through her hair. Ximena watched the other girl in tense anticipation of what she would say. The Latina was concerned she had ruined everything with Callie. She didn't want her feeling to get in the way of her friendship with Callie.

Suddenly Callie stopped. The girl turned to face her concerned friend and she sighed. "I need time X. Okay? I need to figure out what I'm feeling and if there's something here between us. I'm not saying no. I just need to wrap my head around this. Are you okay with that?" The brunette looked at the Latina expectantly. The older girl nodded "it's fine Cal. I'm not rushing you. If you want time you've got it. Just don't ignore me alright. We can just hang and not talk about anything until you're ready. I promise I'm good. This is all new to you. I get that." Callie sighed in relief. She wasn't sure exactly what she wanted but what she was sure of was the fact that she felt something during that kiss and it wasn't bad. She just needed time. "I'm not going anywhere Ximena. I just need to figure out my stuff before we can dive into a discussion of the being more then friends variety. I need to figure out if there can be an us. I liked the kiss X and that scares me. I've never felt something for a girl before so I just want to think things through." Ximena smiles softly at her friend "I know it's scary believe me I do. You'll be fine I promise. Take whatever time you need to think about what you want. I'll be waiting for you. I promise." The younger girl nodded in response just as her phone went off. It was a text from Mariana asking her if she'd left yet. Callie quickly responded that she'd be back shortly and then looked back up at Ximena. "That was Mariana I need to get to Stef's party. I'll text you later I promise and I'll be back tomorrow after the rally. See you soon X" Callie gave the other girl a quick hug and was out the door in a flash she just barely heard Ximena say goodbye. Quickly Callie was in the car and on her way home trying to clear her head before she gets there.

As Callie parked the car on the road she noticed Poppy sitting outside on the porch. "Hey Poppy, whatcha doing outside?" The younger girl smiled "Hey Callie, I just felt weird being there since I don't really know anyone minus your family." Callie nodded "once I change I'll be out there and you can hang with me. I hate these things anyways." Poppy grinned slightly "alright at least I have you to hang with. Were you just with my sister?" The brunette tended at the mention of Ximena as her thoughts went back to the kiss the two had shared. "Um ya I was. We were uh just going over some…stuff for tomorrow. You know the rally which by the way it would be really great if you came with us. Would you be interested?" Poppy nodded quickly "yes of course I want to come. Are you alright Callie you seem a little more… stressed then usual?" Callie sighed relaxing her shoulders a bit not realizing how ridged they had become "ya I'm fine Poppy. Thanks for asking. I'm just stressed you know which everything thats going on. Nothing to worry about." The Latina nodded apprehensively "alright if you say so Cal." "I better get changed" Callie quickly moved past Poppy, up the stairs, through the door and up to her room.

Not before long Callie had changed and was proceeding down the stairs to join the party. She noticed Brandon sitting on the steps. "Hey B. How was Grace?" Brandon sighed "she's fine Cal. She's been good lately I'm just worried about when she's not feeling good. I need her in my life. I'm just afraid I'm going to lose her." Callie moved to sit down beside Brandon and hugged him briefly "She'll be fine. You know she will. You've just gotta make it through the lows to get back to the highs again." The boy slowly nodded and rested his head against the wall. "How's Ximena doing?" Callie inhaled sharply "um she's fine. You know as good as she can be. Ya just alright." The brunette once again was thinking of the kiss they'd shared, not sure what her next move will be. Brandon looked over at her suspiciously "Are you alright? Did something happen with Ximena?" Callie breathed in deeply debating wether or not to talk to him about the kiss. "Uh ya something did kind of happen." Brandon nodded waiting for Callie to continue on her own accord. The girl went on "we um… well we kind of… I dunno… we kissed." Callie looked away from her brother not wanting to see his reaction. Brandon stared at her for a moment while deciding what to say next "okay… and did you want her to kiss you?" Callie sighed and put her head into her hands "No. Yes. I don't know. That's the issue." Brandon nodded despite the girl not being able to see him. "Cal it's alright not to know. This is something new for you. It'll all be fine Cal. You and Ximena are friends. This won't ruin that unless you let it." Callie finally looked over at the boy beside her. "I'm just scared B… I'm scared that I felt something there when we kissed. I don't know what to do." The boy looked over at her "Do you want to kiss her again?" Callie sighed and thought about her friend. She imagined them being together as something more then just friends and she didn't hate the idea in fact she really liked it. "Ya I think I would." Brandon smiled at her "there's your answer Cal. Take things one step at a time. Don't rush it. If Ximena really likes you she'll be there for you while you figuring it out. No ones rushing you Callie. This doesn't change who you are. You're still you, liking one girl doesn't change who you are I promise that. I'm here for you if you ever want to talk about it." The brunette smiled and hugged the boy next to her. She remembered why he was her best friend, he always knew the right thing to say to her. "Thanks B for everything. I'm going to talk to Ximena tomorrow. I'll take this slow and figure it out along the way. Now let's get to this party mom's are probably wondering where we are." Brandon chuckled as they both got up and proceeded to the yard to join in with the festivities.

Stef's party wasn't particularly eventful on Callie's end. She spent most of it just casually chatting with Poppy or one of her siblings. Soon enough Callie was ready to retire for the night so she proceeded up to her room to get ready for bed. Shortly after while Callie was changing she heard the door open. She looked over and watched as her sister entered the room. Mariana collapsed onto her bed with a exaggerated sigh. "Ugh boys. They're so frustrating Callie." The older girl watched her sister with a raised brow "why? What did they do?" The younger girl covered her face "they all want to go out with me and they expect me to chose which one I want." Her voice was muffled but the brunette was able to understand what she said well enough. Callie knows that Mariana is just about as good with relationships as she is, maybe slightly better if she was being honest. "God Mariana it must be so hard having all those boys want to be with you." Callie chuckled and moved over to sit on her bed. Mariana looked over at her with a glare. "Hey it's not easy having multiple boys interested in you. Just saying. That's why I have a plan." Callie listened to the younger girl go on for awhile about her plan with the boys, their pros and cons, who she thought was best and her date ideas. At some point Callie tuned her out only giving her an occasional acknowledgement to pretend like she was listening when all she could really focus on was Ximena. Callie was brought back to focusing on Mariana when she called her name. "Callie are you even listening to me? This is important." Callie sighed "yes I'm listening Mariana, I'm sorry I'm just a little distracted today." "Is everything alright Cal? Did something happen with Ximena?" Mariana looked over at the brunette with concern. She doesn't often see her sister this out of it. Distracted sure but something was defiantly up and Mariana planed on finding out what. Callie looked at the other girl "nothing's really 'alright' at the moment Mariana. Everything is just so crazy and now I've got this other…thing to stress about and just ugh." Callie flopped back on her bed with a groan. "Come on. You can talk to me. What went down today?" Callie just lay for a minute and then looked over at her sister. "It's just something happened with Ximena and I don't know what to do about it." Mariana sat up on her bed now giving Callie her full attention as she's now getting somewhere. "Go on. I can't really help you out unless you give me more info to work with." Callie debated for a few minuets if she really wanted to tell her sister what happened or not. Mariana isn't really known for her ability to keep her mouth shut. Callie ends up deciding to give in. Maybe Mariana could help her out. "Well… me and Ximena we… we did a thing and I don't know, just before I go on promise not to freak out and to keep your mouth shut. Promise?" Mariana looked giddy to be getting something out of Callie "yes I promise. Now go on you and Ximena what?" The older girl sighed before continuing "well we kind of… we kind of kissed." Callie looked down as she said the last part. Mariana's eyes went wide, she didn't fully know how to respond. She didn't want to say anything to offend or hurt her sister especially since this was new territory for her. "It's okay Cal. Kisses happen all the time like look I kissed Emma and it didn't mean anything." Callie remained silent looking anywhere but Mariana before finally saying quietly "But what if I wanted it to mean something?" The younger girl was surprised. Callie had never shown interest in girls before but then again they hadn't ever really spoke about it. "Well Cal if you want to go for it then go for it. You've got nothing to lose. If you both want to be together then be together nothing else matters. Stop worrying about everyone else and focus on what you want. If thats Ximena then go for it. I'm happy for you." "I think I want this but I'm scared." The older girl began to cry. Mariana moved over to her bed and held her. Callie was never more grateful for Mariana then in that moment. They remained like that for awhile in silence. When the older girl calmed down Mariana spoke. "It's alright to be scared Cal. New things are always scary just don't deny how you feel just because you're worried about what it'll have to mean. If you like Ximena you like her. There's nothing more to it then that. Talk to her, she clearly likes you. Just do what makes you happy sis. I promise it'll all work out in the end." Callie nodded. "I hope you're right. I really do." Eventually Callie had calmed down fully but the two sisters remained together in a tense silence both worried for the outcome of Callie's situation. Mariana wanted her sister to be happy and Callie just wanted to make everyone else happy. Suddenly the door opened and Poppy entered the room. The two girls sitting on the bed attempted to compose themselves quickly. "Hey guys, is everything alright?" Mariana focused on the younger girl. "Um ya we're all good. Just having a little bit of a moment. Nothing to worry about." Mariana squeezed Callie's hand and quickly got off of the bed moving to sit on her own. Poppy didn't appear convinced "Okay… if you say so." Callie looked at the younger girl before abruptly getting off of her bed and moving towards the bathroom. "I'm going to brush my teeth, I want to get to bed. Long day tomorrow." The brunette walked into the washroom and away from the prying eyes of the younger girls. She needed to think for a few minutes alone. Back in the girls room Poppy was left very confused but decided not to push it. She walked over to her bag and grabbed her clothes to change quickly. Mariana remained quiet not really knowing what to say next. After changing Poppy picked up her phone that she had placed on Callie's desk. "I'm going to FaceTime my sister before bed. I'll be back in a bit." Mariana nodded and watched the girl exit the room.

Poppy proceeded downstairs and into the living room. She sat down on the couch and FaceTimed her sister. Within moments she picked up. As Ximena's face appeared on the screen the younger girl smiled. "Hey big sister! How are you? Just wanted to call you quickly before bed." Ximena grins "I'm all good Poppy. How was the party?" The younger girl smiles "it was pretty good. Still feels weird still being around the Fosters life you know?" Ximena nods "I get it. I know it doesn't feel like home but at least you're safe there. I'll be out soon I promise. Callie is figuring it out." Poppy nodded apprehensively "I know I'm grateful that they are letting me stay here. I just wish you were here too. Speaking of Callie though did something happen today that you know of? It's just that she was acting a little off tonight." Poppy could see her sister visibly tense through the screen. Ximena breathed in sharply "Well sort of. I don't really know if I should talk about it sis." "Come on Ximena it's me. Your sister. Tell me what the problem is. Please maybe I can help." Ximena sighed and nodded slowly. "Alright fine but you can't say anything about this alright?" Poppy nodded "yes of course." Ximena continued "Well me and Callie sort of kissed today." Poppy's eyes widened "Ximena! Omg! Are you two like a thing now? That's so great if you are!" Ximena shook her head "keep your voice down Poppy. No we're not a 'thing' at least not yet anyways." Poppy smiled "But you want to be together. I can totally see it. You really like her. How didn't I figure this out sooner? Like it's so obvious now." The older girl shook her head "Poppy chill. I have no clue what Callie is feeling right now I just know that she needs time. This is new for her so she's got to figure out what she wants. If that's me then I'd be really happy about that but if not that's fine too. I'm just as content to remain just friends." The younger girl was still giddy about the prospect of her sister and Callie together as they'd be a good pair. "Okay fine I get it. I just really want you to be happy and I know Callie would be good for you. I won't say anything but I'm super happy for you guys." Ximena smiled "Thanks Poppy. You'd better get to bed it's late." "Okay fine" Poppy agreed reluctantly "Night sis." "Goodnight Poppy" respond Ximena before ending the call. Poppy sat on the couch for a minute grinning to herself before heading up to bed.

Callie along with Mariana were already laying in bed when Poppy entered the room. Callie watched as she made her way over to bed bidding Callie and Mariana a goodnight. Mariana was busying herself on her laptop trying to finish up some school work before bed. Callie's thoughts remained on Ximena like before but the difference now being that she knows what she wants to do. She picked up her phone and sent Ximena a quick text _Hey X. I hope you're alright. I know we left things on a weird note. We'll talk tomorrow after the rally. I know what I want. Goodnight. - Cal xx. Callie smiled and placed her phone down before rolling over in bed to fall asleep and for the first night in a long time she feels like she can sleep soundly._

In the distance at the church Ximena is about to fall asleep when her phone goes off. She picks it up quickly hoping it was Callie. Her wish was granted, as she read the text over she smiles hoping that Callie has decided to be with her. She quickly responds. _Hey Cal. I'm fine. I'm glad you know what you want no matter what it is. Night. ~ X 3.Ximena feels like she can sleep soundly that night._

Callie's life still isn't stable but she's trying to change that.

 **Authors Note**

 **Sorry for the long wait. I really wanted to get this chapter right and not rush it. Since I was busy with school this took longer then planned. I hope the longer Chapter made up for it though. This story will mainly follow Callie but I'll occasionally throw in a paragraph following someone like in this chapter with Poppy and Ximena. The next chapter won't be as long so hopefully I can have it up max. Sorry if it takes longer. Hope you enjoyed.**


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